Article by George Norman

On 03 Sep 2009

When you no have no need for a particular file, what do you do with it? You delete it of course. The thing is that if you have your Windows operating system running by its default rules, then the file will not actually be deleted. What Windows will do is move the file to the Recycle Bin where it will stay until you click Empty Recycle Bin. There are a few things that you can do to prevent this from happening – assuming of course that you are really sure you want to delete the file.

The first method at your disposal is actually a keyboard shortcut trick. Here’s how it goes:


Step 1. Locate the file or folder you want to delete.

Step 2. Select the file or folder.

Step 3. Holding down Shift, press the Delete key. Confirm your actions by clicking Yes.

The second method that you can employ to delete files without moving them to the Recycle Bin requires you to play with the Bin’s settings. It is nothing too complicated, just follow the steps presented below:

Step 1. Minimize all open windows and/or applications.

Step 2. On the desktop, locate the Recycle Bin icon.

Step 3. Right click the Recycle Bin. In the dropdown menu that appears select Properties.

Step 4. In the Recycle Bin Properties window, in the Global tab, select Use one setting for all drives. Now check the box next to Do not move file to the Recycle Bin. Remove files immediately when deleted.

Step 5. Click Apply -> OK and you’re done.

Tips and warnings
If you do not have the confidence to play with the operating system’s settings, then you are better off using the Shift + Delete keyboard shortcut.
When you use a computer that is not your own (a friend’s computer for example), it is best to use the Shift + Delete keyboard shortcut to delete files. Your friend might not appreciate you messing about with the way he set up the computer.
In the Recycle Bin Properties window you have the option to Configure drives independently. What this means is that you can setup files to be deleted automatically only for a particular drive.
The Recycle Bin uses a certain percentage of the drive to store files. Very large files are not moved to the Recycle Bin, they are automatically deleted.
Just because you pressed the Delete button does not mean the data is lost forever. There are plenty of 3rd party software applications out there that specialize in recovering deleted data.



Tags: Microsoft, Windows, Recycle Bin

I Hope you LIKE this blog post! Thank you!

What do YOU have to say about this

Popular How To

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

27.

28.

29.

30.